The Naru Chronicles
by DeanSamWinchester
Summary: If she had been able to defeat him then maybe she wouldn't be like this and she wouldn't be stuck in having to fulfil a promise that hurt her. Now, she was going to drag him back home and teach him what happens to people who betrayed one Naru Uzumaki. Who said she was a forgiving person?


**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

**A/N: I know I should be updating my other fics but this one had been in my mind for a while.**

* * *

Naru Uzumaki was furious and in pain.

Not furious as in she would hit someone or she would calm down because that didn't measure the fury she was in and not in pain as in physical pain. Well, yes she was in physical pain but it was becoming bearable. Her pain was one of emotional pain, one she doubt would ever fully heal.

It was all Sasuke's damn fault she felt like shit.

The bastard had to shove the chidori through her chest. He just had to do it. She would never ever forgive him for that because she might be a forgiving idiot but she wasn't that much of an idiot. Never mind the fact he might as well shove another one through her chest when he said she would never bring him back. Never mind the fact her best friend, the one guy she actually trusted was an inconsiderate asshole.

The very least the damn asshole could do was not to shove the damn thing through her chest or remind her of what she didn't have.

But Sasuke wouldn't be Sasuke if he didn't behave like a right old bastard to her and to think she thought he cared for her. To think she actually thought he might have feelings for her. To think, she actually loved him.

She clutched her chest and looked out of the hospital window, memories of the battle rushing through her mind. The coldness in his eyes and the cruelty in his words still rang in her mind. A part of her knew that wasn't the Sasuke she knew or loved. The Sasuke she knew would never act like this, she wanted to blame Orochimaru but she was no fool.

In her heart, she knew that they had been slowly losing him since the meeting with Itachi.

She pushed herself from the bed, grimacing as she felt the short burst of pain from her chest as she tried to stand up. She needed to get out of the hospital and start to train. She needed to bring back Sasuke because she made a promise to Sakura to bring him back.

It would break her to bring him back but she would do it…

"You shouldn't be moving," a voice said and the blonde turned her head to see Shikamaru leaning against the wall. He looked at her with boredom but she knew he was worried. "The nurse said you needed to rest since Sasuke did injure you badly."

Naru shook her head at the older boy, eyes gazing out at the window where she could hear the laughter of little kids echoing. Memories of being six years old and playing with Sasuke ran through her mind, making her feel like she was going to cry. Damn it. She shouldn't cry. She was Naru Uzumaki and she never cried.

Clenching her hand into a small fist, the blonde said, "I'm fine. Fit as a fiddle, I'm ready to go out of the hospital."

"Then why are you wincing?" Shikamaru asked dryly, pointing out she was wincing.

"Look Shikamaru, I'm fine and I'm getting out of here," Naru answered. "I need to get out of the hospital okay. I just want to be alone for a bit."

Shikamaru stared at her and she hated the fact he was looking at her with pity. She didn't deserve any pity. She didn't want any of it. So what if Sasuke hurt her so badly, it didn't mean a damn thing. She was going to be fine. It wasn't like this was the first time in her life, he hurt her or abandoned her. Tentatively, she touched the wrapping around her face and then looked out at the window again.

"I hate him," Naru whispered quietly and Shikamaru paused mid-step, twisting his head to look at her in surprise. She didn't blame him. Never in her life did she ever said that but she needed to get it out of her chest because she couldn't say this to Sakura. She couldn't say this to Tsunade or Jiraiya since they would question her but Shikamaru never questioned her.

He would find it too troublesome and he would figure it out.

"Everyone's safe," Shikamaru informed her, fixing his eyes at her.

The blonde looked out at the window. "That's good…"

Shikamaru's face hardened at what he had to say next. "And Sasuke…"

"The bastard ran away," Naru finished, clenching her hands into a fist. "He ran away like a coward. If he just taken responsibility, if I have been stronger then none of this would happen. I fought him but nothing worked! Not a damn thing worked! It felt like talking to a wall with him. Nothing I said went through his mind. He didn't need to search for power, he had us to fight Itachi."

Shikamaru took a seat in the chair and stared at her. She knew he didn't really care much about Sasuke or what she had to say but they were friends. The two of them had been friends since the second year in the Academy when she looked at the clouds with him. The same went for Kiba and Choji; with them she didn't have to hide anything.

She could spill her heart and they wouldn't judge her.

The ache in her heart was agonizing and she was reminded again of just how much Sasuke hurt her. Friends didn't hurt each other but he did it. He wanted to sever their bonds but she wasn't going to let it happen. No way in hell was she going to let him forget of how special their bonds were.

"Y'know how Kiba always said that Sasuke was a bastard that didn't know how lucky he was?" Shikamaru nodded his head. "Well I'm starting to think that might have been one of the smartest things he ever said because Sasuke was lucky. He had me, Sakura and Kakashi-sensei supporting him yet he just discarded us. As if we didn't matter…"

"And yet you still care for him," Shikamaru stated, looking at her with understanding.

Taking in a deep breath, the blonde looked at him with bitterness before slowly shaking her head. She didn't care for Sasuke anymore. He could rot for all she cared. They weren't friends anymore like he wanted. She would no longer care for him since he never cared about her.

Still memories ran through her mind. Small, precious memories such as the first time they met to the first day of the Academy and finally the battle. Each memory brought a bitter pang, reminding her of just how much of her past was entwined with Sasuke. He was her first friend. Her rival and the first person who acknowledge her existence…

"_Why are you alone? Do you want to play with me? I'm not going to hurt you!"_

Those memories of hers were mocking her, reminding her of the relationship they used to have.

Clenching the bed sheet, she allowed the tears to fall and Shikamaru backed away, looking unsure on how to cheer her up or even what to do. Why her? Why did every god damn person she trust always betrayed her in someway. Did it really didn't matter to him that she had been there for him? Did he not remember the first time they met? Or did he discard that meeting when he declared he was going to kill her.

"I hate him with all my heart, Shikamaru, the bastard doesn't care about anyone but himself," Naru said.

"_I admit that you've become the most important person in my life…"_

Damn that memory, she should forget it because Sasuke's words were lies. He always lied to her. If she was the most important person in his life then he wouldn't have done what he did to her. He wouldn't have shoved the chidori through her chest. He would have listened and come with her, not made her have false hopes. Not made her fight him. The bastard wouldn't have abandoned her.

"I don't care for him Shikamaru, not anymore," Naru said finally, turning the topic back to the former topic. "When he shove the chidori through my chest, any care I felt for him, any love that I have for him was gone. It'll never ever come back, mark my words, Shikamaru."

She would have said more if it weren't for the door opening. Naru and Shikamaru twisted their heads and the blonde was surprised to see Sakura standing in the doorway with Tsunade beside her. Naru froze and she wondered if her pink-haired teammate heard everything. She didn't want Sakura to hear it, to look at her the wrong way because she couldn't handle another person abandoning her.

She kept her eyes blank as she stared at her pink-haired teammate while Tsunade looked at her with concern. The older woman had her hands on her hips, eyes critically swooping at the bandages wrapped around her face, neck and her chest. Naru tightened her grip on the bed sheet and stared back at the older woman.

"Naru…" Sakura muttered.

"How much did you hear Sakura-chan?"

"From the part you said Sasuke-kun ran away," Sakura admitted, looking at her bandaged teammate with concern.

The blonde nodded her head. "So you heard most of it, huh?"

Tsunade sighed and the three preteens turned to look at her. The blond-haired woman walked over to her, grabbing the clipboard on the table, eyes scanning through it before fixing her attention on the bandaged girl.

"The rumors and the report stated you were severely wounded," Tsunade commented, flickering her eyes at her bandage chest. "But it seems like you're fine now. I wouldn't recommend you running that's for certain or even walking."

Naru paused before nodding her head, knowing arguing would be a waste of time. Glancing at the sad look on her teammate's face, the blonde felt a twinge of guilt at the words she spoken. She had been selfish and forgot that Sakura loved Sasuke just as much as she did, maybe slightly less since the girl hadn't been there for Sasuke in the rough times.

She hadn't been the one Sasuke had went to or stopped talking to when his brother attacked his clan…

No, she needed to forget Sasuke and concentrate on her training.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan…"

Sakura laughed but even in Naru's ears, the laughter felt fake. The blonde grimaced. She hated this. Her teammate was in pain because of her, because of Sasuke and she couldn't forgive herself for letting her get hurt. If she had been stronger would she had been able to prevent Sasuke from leaving?

She hated the fact that she was weak, that she didn't have enough strength to prevent it from happening.

"Why're you apologizing?" Sakura gave her smile but it felt like a fake smile and Naru knew better than anyone what a fake smile looked like. "You look really weird! You look like a mummy!"

The blonde bit her lips. "Sakura…I'm sorry…I…"

Sakura ignored her and went to the windows, opening the curtains and the blonde winced at the sudden flash of light. She hated this. The blonde watched blankly as her teammate and friend cleaned the table, fixing the flowers and she had to wonder why the girl wasn't yelling at her. She wouldn't blame her teammate if she did. It would make sense if her teammate yelled at her.

She hadn't fulfilled her promise and she admitted that she hated Sasuke, who wouldn't blame her teammate for hating her?

"Why do you look so sad? The weather's good today, don't you think?" Sakura chirped, reshuffling the flowers. "I also opened the other curtains, now…"

Naru had enough of this.

"I'm a lot of things Sakura-chan but a idiot I'm not! So for my sake could you please stop with the fake smile!" Sakura blinked her eyes and slowly the fake smile slipped off her face, allowing the blonde to relax. "If you heard me saying about Sasuke running away then you heard me saying I hate him," the girl hesitated and nodded her head. "Even through I hate him, it doesn't mean I'm not going to bring him back…I promise you and I keep my promises."

It broke her heart to say this because she didn't want to see Sasuke but for the sake of her teammate she would do it. She wasn't going to be a cowered, running away from Sasuke because of what he had done. Naru Uzumaki had more pride then that. She was going to face him head on, fight him till she broke him every bone in his body and bring him back because she was going to keep her promise.

"It's alright, Naru…"

"Sakura, she's trying to…"

The blonde glanced at Shikamaru, giving him the subtle message that he needed to shut up and the dark-haired boy scowled but did as she asked. Words were never needed between them since he always knew what went through her mind. The same went for Choji and Kiba, maybe even Hinata too since the girl knew how to read people.

"Sakura, I'll drag that bastard back even if I have to break every single bone in his body and make him cry," Naru smiled widely at her. "That's my ninja way. I made a promise and I've every intention of keeping to it."

Sakura stared at her for a few minutes before heading towards the door. The blonde felt her whole body tensed and for a brief moment, she wondered if her teammate was going to abandon her just like Sasuke had. No she wouldn't because if she did then she would tell her. Sakura was predictable like that.

"I'm sorry Naru," Sakura said and the blonde hung her head, knowing what her teammate was going to say. "I had to make you face Sasuke alone and I'm going to make you wait a while but next time, we'll do it together."

Naru blinked her eyes and slowly a smile lit her face at her teammate's words. At least there was one teammate she could depend on, one teammate who wasn't going to leave her alone like Sasuke did. If Sakura had abandoned her…

She didn't even want to think what she would do.

Damn was she ever pathetic.

* * *

Nightmares haunted her every night and sleep was becoming a rarity in her opinion. She hated sleep because of what it brought for her. Every night she dreamt of the battle with Sasuke, the words he spoke and the hatred in his eyes. Each time, she woke up she had tears streaming down her eyes.

She hated how he reduced her to crying idiot, something she hadn't been since the two of them became friends nearly ten years ago.

"_You got to meet my brother, Naru!"_

Damn it, why did she had to remember him? She wanted the memories to be gone and live her life in peace. To forget the feelings she had for him. To forget just how much he meant to her. But how could she? Could one really forget their own past and move one? Could she really discard her bond with Sasuke so she could live her life in peace?

In her heart, she knew the answer was no because Sasuke and her were always tied together but for now she would forget of their bond and focused in getting stronger.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the ground shaking. Immediately, she jumped off her bed and rushed to the window, curious to know what the hell was going on. Her eyes widened when she saw Jiraiya sitting on a giant toad and slowly a smile lit her face. For some reason, the toads always brought happiness to her.

"Ero-sennin? Why are you here?" Naru asked, leaning against the window rail.

Jiraiya smiled and gestured for her to scoot over, the blonde nodded her head and did as he told. She watched as he took a seat beside her, his back turned against her while she took a seat on her bed. Crossing her legs, she waited for the older man to start explaining on why he was here. He hadn't seen her in the past few days so why now did he decide to visit?

"I came to talk to you about an important matter," Jiraiya said. "From now on, you're officially my apprentice. I'll train you one-on-one for three years. When I was investigating Orochimaru's 'immorality' jutsu…information concerning the Akatsuki came to light."

The blonde kept her face emotionless. "What kind of information?"

"They won't be after you for another three or four years from now."

Naru looked down at the blanket, twirling her fingers together as she thought about the implication. This was good news. She wouldn't need to look over her shoulder for a while since they weren't going to hunt for the next couple months but she needed to get stronger. Memories of Itachi ran through her mind. She was so weak and helpless against him. She hated it.

Never be said that Naru Uzumaki hated to be weak.

"Why am I sitting here then? There's no time for us to waste," Naru said, jumping off the bed. "We need to be training right now. We can't waste time…."

"What do you mean?"

"How long does Sasuke have before Orochimaru kills him, huh? I…I can't let him be killed can I? He's still a shinobi of Konoha."

"Like I said before. I was investigating Orochimaru's 'immorality jutsu'. This might not make you feel better but Orochimaru can't use Sasuke's body as a container for his soul for at least three years."

The blonde nodded her head. She had three years and maybe in those three years, she could calm down and be able to control her rage against Sasuke. In three years, she might be able to consider him a friend again…or not. She wasn't an idiot. She did know that what Sasuke did wasn't something a friend would do but a small part of her wanted them to be friends again.

A small part of her wanted Sasuke to be the little boy who used to cheer her up and brought meaning to her life again.

"…I need you to forget about Sasuke. You can't bring him back."

Naru blinked her eyes at this before closing her eyes. Memories of Sakura's tears rang through her mind but the memory of Shikamaru's description of their comrades wounds also rang through her mind. Her heart was torn. One part of her wanted to bring him back for Sakura's sake but another part of her didn't want to do it, knowing it would be like betrayal to those that had been hurt.

Sasuke's action had hurt everyone, he needed to be punish and bringing him back wouldn't be a punishment. Yet she couldn't deny the fact, she wanted to bring him back, to remind him of those times when the two of them had been happy.

"Sasuke himself decided to go to Orochimaru…no matter what you do, he won't change."

"I know but I made a promise," Naru whispered. "Ero-sennin I can't break the promise. If I hadn't made the promise then I won't bring him back. The Sasuke I knew would never…he would never ever think of hurting me."

"_I'm never going to hurt you!"_

Those were Sasuke's words after he had seen her being bullied. They had been six years old and she had been scared to go near him but he didn't listen to her protest. Instead he dragged her from the sandpit and took her to his mother, who had pretty much healed her. He said those words when she flinched at his touch. That Sasuke had been sweet, that Sasuke had been someone she had admired.

That Sasuke was someone she could understand why the girls had a crush on.

"You're a fool in thinking of bringing him back."

"I know," Naru agreed. "But I've to keep that promise. To me the Sasuke who was my friend actually died when his clan died or the last bit of him died when he shove the chidori through my chest. Still I can't help but be an idiot and cling to the hope that Sasuke would come back. I know he isn't ever coming back like that…the Sasuke I remember is the Sasuke of the past. I don't think I can ever tell Sakura that."

Her voice felt so broken even to her ears and she wondered whether the pain of losing her best-friend would fade in time. The ache in her heart hadn't dulled one bit instead it had grown stronger, the longer she spent time away from him. In some ways, she wondered if maybe just maybe she should have ignored Sasuke of ten years ago and went against his offer of friendship.

Then again if she had, she would have had to deal with the crippling loneliness.

"If you go after Sasuke, training will be out of question. You'll be followed by ANBU whenever you leave Konoha."

The blonde looked at him in shock but Jiraiya ignored it.

"You're no normal kid," Jiraiya reminded her and Naru knew what he was going to say next. "You carry the Kyuubi. That's that. If you don't listen to what I say, if you follow your own way that's what will happen."

Naru kept her mouth shut, biting the comment that threatened to come out. She knew he had a point but she didn't want to betray her teammate and she needed to see Sasuke just one last time before she broke their bond. If she could even do it because she doubted that she had the strength to break their bond like Sasuke had.

"Then someday, you'll die against opponents that are more troublesome then Orochimaru," Jiraiya said, looking so serious that the blonde had to rub her eyes at him. "Forget about Sasuke…"

The blonde tuned the rest of the speech out, rummaging through her pocket to get the picture of a much younger her and Sasuke. She always had that picture with her. The picture had been taken by his mother, who thought they had been cute at the time. To her surprise and confusion, the picture wasn't in her pocket and a deep set of panic course through her.

Where could it be?

She never let it out of her sight, not once in her life…

Naru gulped and bit her lips, hardening her heart and knowing that it was a sign. A sign that she needed to forget about the past and looked ahead to the future. She knew she needed to forget about Sasuke and the past if the missing picture told her anything. She had to forget him or else she wouldn't get stronger but…

A small part of her told her that she could never forget the past and no matter what she said, her words would just be lies. She was lying to herself but she would ignore it. She would move on from Sasuke because that's what real kunoichi do. They moved on with their life and not let one boy affect their judgment.

"I'll put off Sasuke but I'll bring him back along with Sakura that you can't change my mind. I made a promise to Sakura…so I guess you can say the both of us are fools."

Jiraiya sighed and jumped on the toad, causing the blonde to sigh. She leaned against her bed and stared at him, wondering what went through his mind now that she said this. He sighed making the blond wondered if he would go through with his threat.

"When you leave the hospital, get ready you big fool."

She grinned.

When she come back, she was going to be stronger and she will teach Sasuke about how he should never break a girl's heart, especially a Naru Uzumaki's heart.

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**Thank you for reading!**

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**I would like to hear your thoughts.**


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